November 2005
November 1, 2005
I really like getting cooking advice from my parents. Even though they're the most critical people in the world when it comes to food, I can't help but hang on to every single word of theirs because you know what, they know what's up. I can't wait until December! Mmm, shark fin soup.. among other things.
Okay, now it's rant time. Stupid golf! I think I hurt my back from playing the other day because of a lack of stretching. Seriously, I couldn't get up this morning and when I finally did, I actually yelled out in pain. Hopefully, this'll only last for a day or two more.
While we're on the topic of stupid things, Ben Roethlisberger is now on my list. Why oh why did you have to throw a freaking interception? 20 to win, 19 to tie, and I came up short because you can't score when I needed you to. My poor Arcane Mages; they're now 2-6. My season's pretty much over unless I win out.
November 10, 2005
Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? Since my last post, I have done the following:
Not updated: Yes. This might seem trivial to all you folks out there, but there's actually a story to this, so bear with me. So this 8-day gap marks the longest that I have gone this year (and maybe even ever – I didn't check my calendar before 2005) without updating. Crazy, huh? “Why do you torture me so, Felix?” You may ask? “I want constant updates, like the weather channel!” Well, no particular reason. I typically do a weekend review on Mondays, but this week I was lazy. And from then on, I just haven't been in the mood. But fear not, loyal readers. I think it was just a phase, and it's passed. Your witty and lovable rambler of life, work, and anything that has to do with everything (which mostly means sports) is back.
Finished my Dickens reading: Boo-freakin'-yah, all you haters out there. It took a few months and during that time, I actually finished three other readings (HP6, The Opposite of Fate, and The Little Prince), but I finally did it! Surprisingly, the ending – about the last 50 pages or so – was pretty good. Goal number 10, check.
Stopped playing WoW: The last two days were somewhat bittersweet. Justin and I, tired of the monotony that is the Alliance, started Horde characters! I now remember why I fell in love with the game in the first place. New quests. New characters. In essence, a whole new game. Goodbye, Xilefmu and Hkakashi. Hello, Peenutbutter and Andjelly. Too bad my account finally expired yesterday. Almost made me wish I had renewed my subscription. Almost.
Decided that I'll be in Vegas for December: Nothing new here, except that I opted to take the entire week off as opposed to just a few days, so I'll probably be there until the 30th, and then it's back up here for New Year's.
November 12, 2005
Today was good on so many levels. For hooking me up with sold out Ragtime tickets, I am forever indebted to Tina. And who knew I can play my ipod in the car with an existing adapter! Thanks, Melisa!
November 13, 2005
Haha! Just when I didn't think things could possibly get any better, they do! Greg just asked me today -- and I very happily accepted -- to be his best man next May. Good times.
What happens in Vegas will stay in Vegas. :-)
November 14, 2005
Okay! Monday update!
After having arguably one of the best weekends ever, I have come back down from my adrenaline-induced high to face yet another workweek. Much to my benefit, I am fortunate enough to have a job to which I enjoy going so all was not lost.
As those of you who read this are probably aware of my whereabouts on Friday and Saturday, I will not bore you with those mundane details. Instead, I will focus on that period during mid-Sunday in which I would like to call: The Haircut.
The Haircut, in my opinion, is what separates the men from the boys. As my lovely brother can attest to between winter break and summer vacation of last year, personal grooming is just something that college folks don’t need because no one cares. In my reality, however, and many of yours, I’m sure, ‘letting oneself go’ is just not done. In fact, it’s kind of unprofessional. And let’s face it, we’re all about making good impressions here.
Speaking of David, he had some incredibly funny posts recently that I would like to share (and comment on). Maybe it’s just me because I know him so well, but I can just picture him and his mindset in the following scenarios.
In watching a movie with me Friday night:
Movie #1: Me and You and Everyone We Know - A nice little movie depicting the separation and isolation that society is going through because of the digital age. It had many great moments, like “Back and forth. Back and forth. Forever.” In a way, it was depressing seeing how eerily true some of the films moments were. People are cynical, people are lonely, people are hopeful. I could have done without the oral sex though. That was pretty awkward since I was watching it with Felix. I'm sure he felt the same way. Hehe.
It was probably less awkward for me because I guess I’m the authority figure. Still, I think it had that same effect for us as when you’d be watching an NBC thriller at home or something, and your mom walks in during an incredibly steamy scene and is about to ask what you’re watching, and you’re just like should I change the channel now or just pretend that one of us isn’t here?
In talking about his horrific dorm bathroom experiences:
NEVER under any circumstances drop your soap in the shower… Let's just say that when I finally got my hands on that slippery bar of soap again, it was hairier than a Chia Pet gone wild. I'm sure that I could account for only 10% of that hair AT MOST. Also, my glasses weren't on, but I'm sure that there were some hairs of colors that I thought only existed in anime. This was gross. This was really gross. Have you ever stroked a small rat? Well, imagine that rat's fur is composed of scraps of hair from the 20 other guys that use that shower. Not just head hair. I spent the next 20 minutes picking hair off of my soap bar (luckily, the shower was a pleasant scalding temperature by this time). Then, I proceeded to use the rest of the time to fervently rub the soap under the showerhead until it was down to half its original size before I dropped it. I'm still not convinced. I just have to keep reminding myself: soap is self cleaning!
He also mentioned something about people not lifting the toilet seat up before doing their thing and not using soap to wash their hands afterwards, but I won’t go there. I just found this amusing because you know what? I’ve never had that bad of an experience. Oh how I loved third floor Castano in my multiple years there (now second floor, that was a different story, or so I hear). Clean, spacious living arrangements really make a big difference when it comes to your college quality of life.
November 15, 2005
Major suckage. I've been told (via the Information Management people) that I am no longer allowed to use AIM at work due to security reasons. Now what am I going to do? Okay, to be honest, I'm not that much of a slacker. Most of the time, I am down in the lab chugging away anyway, but it's just nice to have the option to say.. make impromptu lunch plans with friends, you know? It's called convenience! Ah well. They're paying for my purchase this Saturday, so I'll let it go.
I feel like listening to Canto-pop right now. Where's my supplier when you need him? Or actually, it's about that time of year when I bust out my Christmas music collection.
Silver bells.. silver bells!
November 17, 2005
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
After lunch today, I decided to stay over at the corporate campus because they were having a technology summit there. One of the talks sounded pretty interesting. After all, it was entitled “Serotonin, LSD, and The Police.” It turned out that the police in which they were talking about was not the popo, but rather the band, and the bonds they're breaking are the chemical bonds that one needs to break in the synthesis of a lysergic acid diethylamide derivative to create an antipsychotic drug. Who knew that these druggie chemists are more corny and cheesy than a bag of Doritos? But it's okay.. I like their spirit! :-)
November 20, 2005
Hmm. Goal number 4, check! Just a few loose ends to tie up, but for the most part, it's been bought. I should be able to pick it up after work Monday. Exciting!
November 21, 2005
Four! That's exactly how many miles it *had* before I got to it!! :-D
Alright. It's time for bed. These volatile organic compounds can't be good for me.
November 22, 2005
Not sure if it's guilt or what, but I was tagged by Diana a few weeks ago and I was recently tagged again by Tina, so I guess I should make the list too. Top ten things that have made me happiest the past week:
1. Three episodes of The West Wing with Tina on Friday.
2. Being able to drag Justin up and down the bay on Saturday.
3. WoW party at Brian's on Sunday, and not having to renew Xilefmu.
4. People speaking to me at work in Mandarin, assuming that I understand it completely.
5. Me being able to muster up the reply, “It's because I am new so I don't have that much vacation time yet” in Mandarin.
6. Vroom vroom.
7. Remote entry.
8. IMing people I want to talk to.
9. Making plans to go see Avenue Q in December.
10. The fact that I'll have a big giant ham in my possession in less than two hours.
Anyway. That may have taken me about ten minutes, but I'm not going to be a punk and start tagging people. ;-) Enjoy.
---
Hehehe.. Pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys heading to Disneyland!
November 27, 2005
This has been a wonderful month thus far, and I have lots to be thankful for. Above all, I am grateful to be surrounded by the many caring people in my life who have made me feel special in one way or another. Anyway, if you have the slightest notion that I may be referring to you, then chances are I probably am! Give yourself a pat on the back. :-)
Since I am not one to have qualms about stealing other people's entries, I will link you a reader's digest version of my Thanksgiving here. There are also pictures to be found in this second link, which consist mainly of our feast and the Christmas tree decoration of the Lu-Lam residence.
In the interest of time, here is just a sample of some random things that have amused me in the past couple of days:
- The disappointment that is Stanford football. Our defense is so bad, it makes me want to cry.
- Driving 'stick-shift' around the South Bay in search for those little bobble-head doggies for my car, with the sunroof down.
- Having a reputation of being ruthless and untrustworthy when it comes to playing nerdy strategy board games like Diplomacy. I am not like this in real life. Really.
- Long IM conversations into the wee hours of the morning and the telling of bad chemistry jokes. Hehe.
- Our Christmas tree in the living room. I've never had one before so I never knew how beautifully mesmerizing they can be.
November 29, 2005
You have to enjoy your work; I can’t stress that enough. I mean, there’s really no other way around it. Once that falls into place, everything else will too. Best yet, the days will seem shorter.
So this morning, a coworker of mine asked Iswadi and me how we could be so happy while at work? We were joking around, poking fun at our boss (while he was there too, of course), and basically just laughing at our ridiculous equipment design that we had in place, which was essentially (without going into too much detail) the chemical engineering equivalent to duct tape. For those of you who have played Munchkin with me and have seen me try to screw Will over after getting the “you will giggle uncontrollably†card, well yeah, it was something like that. Good times, I say. Huh, this stuff does excite me to the max. I thought it did before, but now I know for sure.
In other news, is there anyone else out there other than me who is really tired that the Patriots are still being portrayed as the poster child of a great team? Come on, please! My Chiefs just walloped them at Arrowhead by picking Brady off four times, and their record shows them at 6-5, which is mediocre at best. They are not infallible; the 11-0 Colts are. Speaking of which, after having watched Indy’s dismantling of Pittsburgh’s normally solid defense last night on the first play from scrimmage, I have to say: this team is pretty darn good. Hehe, and to think I was secretly hoping that the Steelers would knock Peyton Manning and co. off from their perfectionist high horses. Hahaha! Wow, I did not just say that. Oh wait, yes I did.
I really like getting cooking advice from my parents. Even though they're the most critical people in the world when it comes to food, I can't help but hang on to every single word of theirs because you know what, they know what's up. I can't wait until December! Mmm, shark fin soup.. among other things.
Okay, now it's rant time. Stupid golf! I think I hurt my back from playing the other day because of a lack of stretching. Seriously, I couldn't get up this morning and when I finally did, I actually yelled out in pain. Hopefully, this'll only last for a day or two more.
While we're on the topic of stupid things, Ben Roethlisberger is now on my list. Why oh why did you have to throw a freaking interception? 20 to win, 19 to tie, and I came up short because you can't score when I needed you to. My poor Arcane Mages; they're now 2-6. My season's pretty much over unless I win out.
November 10, 2005
Wow. It's been a while, hasn't it? Since my last post, I have done the following:
Not updated: Yes. This might seem trivial to all you folks out there, but there's actually a story to this, so bear with me. So this 8-day gap marks the longest that I have gone this year (and maybe even ever – I didn't check my calendar before 2005) without updating. Crazy, huh? “Why do you torture me so, Felix?” You may ask? “I want constant updates, like the weather channel!” Well, no particular reason. I typically do a weekend review on Mondays, but this week I was lazy. And from then on, I just haven't been in the mood. But fear not, loyal readers. I think it was just a phase, and it's passed. Your witty and lovable rambler of life, work, and anything that has to do with everything (which mostly means sports) is back.
Finished my Dickens reading: Boo-freakin'-yah, all you haters out there. It took a few months and during that time, I actually finished three other readings (HP6, The Opposite of Fate, and The Little Prince), but I finally did it! Surprisingly, the ending – about the last 50 pages or so – was pretty good. Goal number 10, check.
Stopped playing WoW: The last two days were somewhat bittersweet. Justin and I, tired of the monotony that is the Alliance, started Horde characters! I now remember why I fell in love with the game in the first place. New quests. New characters. In essence, a whole new game. Goodbye, Xilefmu and Hkakashi. Hello, Peenutbutter and Andjelly. Too bad my account finally expired yesterday. Almost made me wish I had renewed my subscription. Almost.
Decided that I'll be in Vegas for December: Nothing new here, except that I opted to take the entire week off as opposed to just a few days, so I'll probably be there until the 30th, and then it's back up here for New Year's.
November 12, 2005
Today was good on so many levels. For hooking me up with sold out Ragtime tickets, I am forever indebted to Tina. And who knew I can play my ipod in the car with an existing adapter! Thanks, Melisa!
November 13, 2005
Haha! Just when I didn't think things could possibly get any better, they do! Greg just asked me today -- and I very happily accepted -- to be his best man next May. Good times.
What happens in Vegas will stay in Vegas. :-)
November 14, 2005
Okay! Monday update!
After having arguably one of the best weekends ever, I have come back down from my adrenaline-induced high to face yet another workweek. Much to my benefit, I am fortunate enough to have a job to which I enjoy going so all was not lost.
As those of you who read this are probably aware of my whereabouts on Friday and Saturday, I will not bore you with those mundane details. Instead, I will focus on that period during mid-Sunday in which I would like to call: The Haircut.
The Haircut, in my opinion, is what separates the men from the boys. As my lovely brother can attest to between winter break and summer vacation of last year, personal grooming is just something that college folks don’t need because no one cares. In my reality, however, and many of yours, I’m sure, ‘letting oneself go’ is just not done. In fact, it’s kind of unprofessional. And let’s face it, we’re all about making good impressions here.
Speaking of David, he had some incredibly funny posts recently that I would like to share (and comment on). Maybe it’s just me because I know him so well, but I can just picture him and his mindset in the following scenarios.
In watching a movie with me Friday night:
Movie #1: Me and You and Everyone We Know - A nice little movie depicting the separation and isolation that society is going through because of the digital age. It had many great moments, like “Back and forth. Back and forth. Forever.” In a way, it was depressing seeing how eerily true some of the films moments were. People are cynical, people are lonely, people are hopeful. I could have done without the oral sex though. That was pretty awkward since I was watching it with Felix. I'm sure he felt the same way. Hehe.
It was probably less awkward for me because I guess I’m the authority figure. Still, I think it had that same effect for us as when you’d be watching an NBC thriller at home or something, and your mom walks in during an incredibly steamy scene and is about to ask what you’re watching, and you’re just like should I change the channel now or just pretend that one of us isn’t here?
In talking about his horrific dorm bathroom experiences:
NEVER under any circumstances drop your soap in the shower… Let's just say that when I finally got my hands on that slippery bar of soap again, it was hairier than a Chia Pet gone wild. I'm sure that I could account for only 10% of that hair AT MOST. Also, my glasses weren't on, but I'm sure that there were some hairs of colors that I thought only existed in anime. This was gross. This was really gross. Have you ever stroked a small rat? Well, imagine that rat's fur is composed of scraps of hair from the 20 other guys that use that shower. Not just head hair. I spent the next 20 minutes picking hair off of my soap bar (luckily, the shower was a pleasant scalding temperature by this time). Then, I proceeded to use the rest of the time to fervently rub the soap under the showerhead until it was down to half its original size before I dropped it. I'm still not convinced. I just have to keep reminding myself: soap is self cleaning!
He also mentioned something about people not lifting the toilet seat up before doing their thing and not using soap to wash their hands afterwards, but I won’t go there. I just found this amusing because you know what? I’ve never had that bad of an experience. Oh how I loved third floor Castano in my multiple years there (now second floor, that was a different story, or so I hear). Clean, spacious living arrangements really make a big difference when it comes to your college quality of life.
November 15, 2005
Major suckage. I've been told (via the Information Management people) that I am no longer allowed to use AIM at work due to security reasons. Now what am I going to do? Okay, to be honest, I'm not that much of a slacker. Most of the time, I am down in the lab chugging away anyway, but it's just nice to have the option to say.. make impromptu lunch plans with friends, you know? It's called convenience! Ah well. They're paying for my purchase this Saturday, so I'll let it go.
I feel like listening to Canto-pop right now. Where's my supplier when you need him? Or actually, it's about that time of year when I bust out my Christmas music collection.
Silver bells.. silver bells!
November 17, 2005
Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
After lunch today, I decided to stay over at the corporate campus because they were having a technology summit there. One of the talks sounded pretty interesting. After all, it was entitled “Serotonin, LSD, and The Police.” It turned out that the police in which they were talking about was not the popo, but rather the band, and the bonds they're breaking are the chemical bonds that one needs to break in the synthesis of a lysergic acid diethylamide derivative to create an antipsychotic drug. Who knew that these druggie chemists are more corny and cheesy than a bag of Doritos? But it's okay.. I like their spirit! :-)
November 20, 2005
Hmm. Goal number 4, check! Just a few loose ends to tie up, but for the most part, it's been bought. I should be able to pick it up after work Monday. Exciting!
November 21, 2005
Four! That's exactly how many miles it *had* before I got to it!! :-D
Alright. It's time for bed. These volatile organic compounds can't be good for me.
November 22, 2005
Not sure if it's guilt or what, but I was tagged by Diana a few weeks ago and I was recently tagged again by Tina, so I guess I should make the list too. Top ten things that have made me happiest the past week:
1. Three episodes of The West Wing with Tina on Friday.
2. Being able to drag Justin up and down the bay on Saturday.
3. WoW party at Brian's on Sunday, and not having to renew Xilefmu.
4. People speaking to me at work in Mandarin, assuming that I understand it completely.
5. Me being able to muster up the reply, “It's because I am new so I don't have that much vacation time yet” in Mandarin.
6. Vroom vroom.
7. Remote entry.
8. IMing people I want to talk to.
9. Making plans to go see Avenue Q in December.
10. The fact that I'll have a big giant ham in my possession in less than two hours.
Anyway. That may have taken me about ten minutes, but I'm not going to be a punk and start tagging people. ;-) Enjoy.
---
Hehehe.. Pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys heading to Disneyland!
November 27, 2005
This has been a wonderful month thus far, and I have lots to be thankful for. Above all, I am grateful to be surrounded by the many caring people in my life who have made me feel special in one way or another. Anyway, if you have the slightest notion that I may be referring to you, then chances are I probably am! Give yourself a pat on the back. :-)
Since I am not one to have qualms about stealing other people's entries, I will link you a reader's digest version of my Thanksgiving here. There are also pictures to be found in this second link, which consist mainly of our feast and the Christmas tree decoration of the Lu-Lam residence.
In the interest of time, here is just a sample of some random things that have amused me in the past couple of days:
- The disappointment that is Stanford football. Our defense is so bad, it makes me want to cry.
- Driving 'stick-shift' around the South Bay in search for those little bobble-head doggies for my car, with the sunroof down.
- Having a reputation of being ruthless and untrustworthy when it comes to playing nerdy strategy board games like Diplomacy. I am not like this in real life. Really.
- Long IM conversations into the wee hours of the morning and the telling of bad chemistry jokes. Hehe.
- Our Christmas tree in the living room. I've never had one before so I never knew how beautifully mesmerizing they can be.
November 29, 2005
You have to enjoy your work; I can’t stress that enough. I mean, there’s really no other way around it. Once that falls into place, everything else will too. Best yet, the days will seem shorter.
So this morning, a coworker of mine asked Iswadi and me how we could be so happy while at work? We were joking around, poking fun at our boss (while he was there too, of course), and basically just laughing at our ridiculous equipment design that we had in place, which was essentially (without going into too much detail) the chemical engineering equivalent to duct tape. For those of you who have played Munchkin with me and have seen me try to screw Will over after getting the “you will giggle uncontrollably†card, well yeah, it was something like that. Good times, I say. Huh, this stuff does excite me to the max. I thought it did before, but now I know for sure.
In other news, is there anyone else out there other than me who is really tired that the Patriots are still being portrayed as the poster child of a great team? Come on, please! My Chiefs just walloped them at Arrowhead by picking Brady off four times, and their record shows them at 6-5, which is mediocre at best. They are not infallible; the 11-0 Colts are. Speaking of which, after having watched Indy’s dismantling of Pittsburgh’s normally solid defense last night on the first play from scrimmage, I have to say: this team is pretty darn good. Hehe, and to think I was secretly hoping that the Steelers would knock Peyton Manning and co. off from their perfectionist high horses. Hahaha! Wow, I did not just say that. Oh wait, yes I did.
